Electric toothbrush



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United States Patent 3,316,576 ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH Richard L. Urbush,Racine, Wis., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Aug. 19, 1965, Ser. No.481,020 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-22) This invention relates to electrictoothbrushes and more particularly to the brush handle holder which ispart of the portable power actuated unit for a toothbrush or the like.

The main object of the invention is to provide a holder into which thehandle of a toothbrush or the like can be inserted by a simple pushingmotion and withdrawn by merely pulling the brush handle out of theholder without manipulation of any of the holder parts.

Another object is to provide a holder which is self adjustable toreceive brush handles of different sizes and shapes and to retain thehandles by friction.

Another object is to provide a brush handle holder and means formounting it in a portable power actuated unit in such manner thatmoisture is prevented from entering the unit between the holder and theunit casing.

The objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedrawings and following description.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, partly in elevation,of a portable power actuated unit for a toothbrush or the like embodyingmy invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale,of the brush handle holder and part of the housing in which it ismounted.

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, inthe plane of the line 3 3 of FIG. 1.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the poweractuated unit comprises a generally cylindrical casing consisting of anend member 11, intermediate portion 12 having a reduced diameter forwardend 13, and a front end casing 14 provided with a central opening 15.The reduced diameter end portion 13 of the the casing 12 is slightlysmaller in external diameter than the internal diameter of the front endcasing 14 which is retained on the part 13 by a flange 16 engaged in thegroove :formed by the projection 17 on the member 13 adjacent itsjunction with the casing 12.

A conventional toothbrush, shown in FIG. l, comprises the `bristlemounting 18, bristles 19 and handle 20;

The holder for receiving and frictionally holding the brush handle 20comprises a holder housing 21 cylindrical in form with closed end 22provided with lan apertured tongue 23, the opposite end being open andprovided with external screw threads 24 or other means for holding brushhandle clamping means adjacent said open end. Brush handle clampingmeans located in the holder housing 21 comprises a pair of clamping bars25 generally rectangular .in cross section, their proximate surfacesbeing parallel to each other and nearly contacting as sho-wn in FIGS. 1and 3 when not spaced apart by insertion of a brush handle. The forwardends of the proximate faces of the clamping bars 25 are beveled asindicated at 26 to facilitate placement of a handle 20 between the bars.yPreferably the housing 21 and clamping bars 25 are made of plasticmaterials, such for example, as Delrin Each clamping bar 25 has attachedto its outer side surface a leaf spring 27 having a ilat central portionprovided With two apertures, a rearward free end 28 and a forwardportion 29 with end hook 30. Each spring 27 is attached to a clampingbar 25 by two rivets 31 counter- 3,3 16,5176 Patented May 2, 1967 sunkat 32 on the proximate sides of the clamping bars 25. The -free ends 28and 30 of the springs 27 are biased to extend outwardly from the flatportion 27 in divergent directions. The two units are held together byan O-ring 33 located in grooves formed in the outer faces of theclamping bars. Two at pieces of plastic material 34, as long as the bars25 and as wide as the thickness of the two bars 25 contacting eachother, are placed adjacent opposite side edges of the bars to keep themin line. These flat pieces 34 are also held in place by the O-rings 33.The outer surfaces of the parts 28 of the springs 27 bear a-gainst theinner surfaces of the holder housing 21 to urge the clamping bars 25toward each other. The parts 29 likewise bear on the inner sur-faces ofthe holder housing 21 to urge the bars 25 toward each other, and thehook ends 30 extend over and engage notches in the open end edge of thehousing 21 adjacent the screw threads 24.

After the clamping bars 25 with attached springs 27, side pieces 34 andO-rings 33 have been assembled and placed in the holder housing 21, theassembly is placed in the casing 12 and mounted therein by the followingdescribed means: ball bearings 35 in grooves formed in `buttress 36 onthe casing 12 and buttress 37 on housing 21; and a sealing sleeve 38 offlexible or other suitable material shaped to engage the forward endedge of the member 13 of casing 12 and to extend over the space betweenthe member 13 and the holder housing 21. After mounting said parts inthe casing 12, a cap 39 is screwed on the threads 24, or snapped on,thereby clamping the sleeve 3S between the cap 39 and holder housing 21.Finally the front end casing 14 is snapped into place on the casing12-13.

The holder housing 21 and contents are given an 1000 orbitalreciprocatory movement by any suitable means, such as the mechanismshown which comprises a rotated shaft 40, pinion 41, gear 42 witheccentric shaft 43 which extends through the round hole in the tongue23. The shaft 40 may 4be driven by a motor (not shown). A switch 44controls the motor.

The brush handle 20 can be inserted between the clamping bars 2S withthe bristles facing in one direction or in the opposite direction. Theclamping bars automatically return to the position shown in FIG. 1 whenthe brush handle is withdrawn. Moisture cannot enter between the outercasing and the brush holder housing. The construction of the housing 21and clamping assembly is such that moisture which may enter therein isharmless and readily eliminated.

Changes may be made in details of construction and in the form andarrangement of parts without departing from the scope of the inventionas defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An electric toothbrush provided with brush handle holding means inwhich the brush handle is retained by frictional engagement and isinserted and removed by simple push and pull movements withoutmanipulation of any parts, comprising (a) a casing,

(b) a brush holder housing having an opening in its forward end mountedin the casing,

(c) a pair of separate substantially parallel brush holder barsextending longitudinally of the housing in alignment with the opening,

(d) resilient means between each bar and the holder housing yieldinglyurging said bars toward each other, said resilient means comprising anelongated leaf spring extending longitudinally of the bar and meansfastening the spring to the Ibar between the spring ends, the oppositeends of the spring being biased to extend in divergent directions awayfrom the bar and to bear against the housing surface,

(e) a motor inthe casing, and

(f) means operatively connecting the brush holder housing to the motorfor reciprocating the housing,

(g) said bars being separable by insertion of a toothbrush handlebetween said holder bars into frictional engagement therewith.

2. The toothbrush dened by claim 1, in which the yforward ends of thesprings are hook form and engage the lforward ends of the holderhousing.

3. The toothbrush dened by claim 1, which includes an O-ring surroundingsaid fbars, said fastening means being a pair of `rivets countersunk onthe side of the bar facing the other bar.

4. A portable power unit provided with tool holding means comprising (a)a casing,

(b) a tool shank holder housing having an opening in its forward endmounted in the casing,

(c) a pair of separate substantially parallel tool holder bars extendinglongitudinally of the housing in alignment with the opening,

(d) resilient means between each bar and the holder housing yieldinglyurging said bars toward each other,

(d4) said resilient means comprising an elongated leaf spring extendinglongitudinally of the bar and means fastening the spring to the barbetween the spring ends, the opposite ends of the spring being biased toextend in divergent directions away from the bar and to bear against thehousing surface, the forward ends of the springs being hook shaped yforengagement with a fixed part of the holder housing to thereby preventlongitudinal -movement of the bars,

(e) a motor, and

(f) means connecting the rear end of the holder housing to the motor forreciprocating the housing,

(g) said bars being separable by insertion of a tool shank between saidholder bars into frictional engagement therewith.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,941,999 1/1934Redmer 279-54 3,094,338 6/1963 Page 279-23 3,142,852 8/1964 Phaneuf eta1 15-22 3,168,834 2/1965 Smithson.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Prima/y Examiner.

25 E. L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner.

1. AN ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH PROVIDED WITH BRUSH HANDLE HOLDING MEANS INWHICH THE BRUSH HANDLE IS RETAINED BY FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND ISINSERTED AND REMOVED BY SIMPLE PUSH AND PULL MOVEMENTS WITHOUTMANIPULATION OF ANY PARTS, COMPRISING (A) A CASING, (B) A BRUSH HOLDERHOUSING HAVING AN OPENING IN ITS FORWARD END MOUNTED IN THE CASING, (C)A PAIR OF SEPARATE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL BRUSH HOLDER BARS EXTENDINGLONGITUDINALLY OF THE HOUSING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE OPENING, (D)RESILIENT MEANS BETWEEN EACH BAR AND THE HOLDER HOUSING YIELDINGLYURGING SAID BARS TOWARD EACH OTHER, SAID RESILIENT MEANS COMPRISING ANELONGATED LEAF SPRING EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE BAR AND MEANSFASTENING THE SPRING TO THE BAR BETWEEN THE SPRING ENDS, THE OPPOSITEENDS OF THE SPRING BEING BIASED TO EXTEND IN DIVERGENT DIRECTIONS AWAYFROM THE BAR AND TO BEAR AGAINST THE HOUSING SURFACE, (E) A MOTOR IN THECASING, AND (F) MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING THE BRUSH HOLDER HOUSING TOTHE MOTOR FOR RECIPROCATING THE HOUSING, (G) SAID BARS BEING SEPARABLEBY INSERTION OF A TOOTHBRUSH HANDLE BETWEEN SAID HOLDER BARS INTOFRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH.